Pink will donate $500,000 to help Australia's firefighters

As the struggle continues to beat back Australia's raging bushfires – yet another glaring example of how climate change is reshaping our planet in real time – a growing number of public figures are stepping up to offer their assistance. The pop singer Pink did so herself early Saturday, pledging in a tweet to donate $500,000 "directly to local fire services."

"My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz," the tweet reads, referring to the bushfire-stricken country by one of its nicknames. Pink's work has resonated in Australia over the years, with the singer having posted big sales and top-of-the-charts recordings multiple times. She's also done a lot of good there, and even donated $250,000 back in 2009 after a smaller bushfire broke out.

Basic human compassion should of course drive all of us to find ways to help, of course, but it's no surprise to see the Pennsylvania-born singer stepping up to help.

I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires. I am pledging a donation of $500,000 directly to the local fire services that are battling so hard on the frontlines. My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kyjDbhoXpp

Pink capped off her Twitter missive with a list of local donation options for anyone who'd like to follow her lead in giving directly to local fire services. You can read more about how much these donations actually can help in Mashable's own extensive rundown of firefighting efforts in Australia.

One cluster of bushfires reached a troubling crescendo on Saturday, as three separate blazes combined to cover an area larger than the New York City borough of Manhattan, as CNN reported. Conditions continue to be difficult as the fires, some of which started as far back as October, continue to be spurred on by unhelpful weather conditions.

A Thursday Facebook post from the NSW Rural Fire Service, which oversees the Australian state of New South Wales, illustrates just how widespread the outbreak continues to be even in just one part of the country.

There's no other way to put it: the news coming out of Australia is terrifying. For all the efforts to help, such as Pink's forthcoming donation or Airbnb's offer to provide emergency housing for those who have been displaced, the fact is the weather is doing more to help the fires than hurt them. No amount of money or offers of support can change the fact that thousands were instructed to jump into the ocean in order to avoid the fires.

Beyond donations, the best thing that you, someone who's not in Australia, can do to help is keep up with the news and use the resources you have available to make people aware. It's not so hard to skate past major breaking news when it's developing outside the place that you live, but this is a moment when we should all be paying close attention and thinking about where we as a global community can go from here.